September 2011 - District 25 Toastmasters

off-handed manner, as though you
just remembered it in the moment.
The best quotes are unique and
memorable, yet general enough that
they can be used in lots of different situations.
These are two of my favorites:
“A cynic is a man who knows the
price of everything and the value of
nothing.” – Oscar Wilde
“No one ever went broke underestimating
the intelligence of the American
people.” – H.L. Mencken
If you think about the situations
and settings in which you speak most
often, it is a fairly straightforward
task to come up with a couple of
quotes to use.
Toasts
In some situations, you know beforehand
that you will offer a toast. In a
wedding party, for example, a toast
at the wedding reception is typically
the responsibility of the best man.
You can prepare something that is
specific to the situation and to the
people involved.
Other times, you may be called
upon to propose a toast with little, if
any, warning. As with quotes, having
a memorable, all-purpose toast or
two in your speaker’s bag of tricks is
a good idea. Here is one that typically
makes the listeners feel good about
themselves and each other, and by
extension, you:
“We have all heard that there
are four things in life that you should
never do. You should never lie. You
should never steal. You should never
cheat. And you should never drink.
But, if you must lie, may it be to save
a friend. If you must steal, may it be
to steal a heart. If you must cheat,
may it be to cheat death. And, if you
must drink, may it always be with
friends like these. Cheers!”
Fun Facts
When the New Zealand government
decided to include Sir Edmund Hillary’s
image on its updated five-dollar
bill in 1992, he became the only
New Zealander to ever have his likeness
appear on a banknote during his
lifetime. This was quite an honor
for the first man to scale Mount
Everest, which he did with Sherpa
Tenzing Norgay in 1953, “because
it was there.”
A fun fact like this can be used to
illustrate a point, or to inspire people
“Quotes are best offered in a casual,
off-handed manner, as though you just
remembered it in the moment.”
with a sense of possibility. Hillary’s
successes in landing himself on the
top of Everest and on the face of the
banknote, for example, were both unprecedented.
Beyond mere trivia, a fun
fact is an interesting, engaging informational
tidbit that is relevant to the
situation and the audience. As with
quotes, be careful not to overdo it.
The opportunities to use such
information will come to you; the key
is to recognize these situations. Begin
with three fun facts that you can use
when the time is right. To cover the
broadest ground, draw from three key
areas: sports, music and business.
Sports: In the 1952 Helsinki Summer
Olympics, Emil Zatopek, a
Czech long-distance runner, won
gold medals in the 5,000-meter
and 10,000-meter events. But what
truly marked Zatopek as a legendary
runner is what he did next. Despite
having never competed in the event
before, he decided to run the marathon.
Zatopek is the only athlete in
Olympic history to take the gold in
these three races in the same year.
His accomplishments highlight the
importance of disciplined training and
rigorous preparation; as well as the
need for confidence.
Music: What 1976 hit did Barry
Manilow sing but not write The
answer: “I Write the Songs.” This
fun fact underscores the importance
of execution. Business strategies are
often carried out by people who did
not write or craft them. It also affirms
what most business leaders already
believe: An average strategy, well
executed, is preferable to a great
strategy, poorly executed.
Business: In 2010, 3M celebrated
the 30th anniversary of the Post-it ®
Note, a brand that now encompasses
more than 4,000 products. The Postit
® Note was initially regarded as a
failure, but a 3M scientist eventually
recognized an application for the
adhesive while searching for a better
bookmark for his hymnal. Implicit
in the brand’s success and longevity
are the virtues of perspective and
patience, as well as recognition of the
nature of success and failure.
With a quote, a toast and a few fun
facts in your speaking arsenal, you
will be better prepared for those
chance encounters that confront all
speakers from time to time. As Louis
Pasteur said, “Chance favors the prepared
mind.” It favors the prepared
speaker, too. T
Steve Magnino is a marketing
professional, speaker, consultant
and freelance writer from Arlington
Heights, Illinois. Contact Steve at
magnino@comcast.net.
TOASTMASTER SEPTEMBER 2011
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